Will Middlebrooks leaves game with lower back spasms

Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks was replaced by Pedro Ciriaco prior to the top of the fifth inning with what the Red Sox described as lower back spasms. Middlebrooks had been 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts on Thursday.

The 24-year-old has been dealing with discomfort as a result of a separation of his ribs from the cartilage connecting them to the sternum earlier this month as a result of a collision with catcher David Ross, but the suggestion of back spasms represents a new malady. In his last three games (including Thursday), he’s 0-for-10 with one walk and five strikeouts, bringing his line for the season to a .201 average, .234 OBP and .408 slugging mark.